NORTHERN REGIONAL COLLEGE DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2010/11 – 2012/13 NRC – College Development Plan 2010-11 – 2012-13 1 CONTENTS Page 1. Introduction & Background 4 2. External Environment 5-8 3. Governance 9-12 4. Organisational Structure 13 5. College Vision, Values and Strategic Objectives 14-16 6. Curriculum Planning: 17-21 (6.1) Achieving targets (6.2) Vocational Qualifications reform opportunities 7. Essential Skills 22-24 (7.1) Meeting targets 8. Post Primary Collaboration 25 (8.1) Plan of engagement 9. Higher Education in Further Education: 26-28 (9.1) HE Enrolment & Curriculum Plan (9.2) Meeting curriculum performance indicators (9.3) New developments to support business and economy 10. Economic Engagement 29-33 (10.1) Description of Economic Engagement (10.2) Relationship of Economic Engagement to Curriculum Planning (10.3) Detail of support to Employers and funding sources (10.4) Employer satisfaction targets 11. Learner Access & Engagement 34-36 (11.1) Description of partnership with 3rd party (11.2) LAE targets for 2010-11 12. Community Engagement: 37-40 (12.1) Improving access (12.2) Targets for Community Education provision and performance Measures (12.3) Cultural Diversity 13. Additional Learning Needs 41-44 (13.1) SLDD discrete provision (13.2) SLDD mainstream provision 14. Information and Learning Technology (ILT) 45-47 (14.1) MIAP confirmation (14.2) ILT progress (14.3) ETI inspection issues NRC – College Development Plan 2010-11 – 2012-13 2 15. Estates Strategy 48-52 (15.1) Key Estates objectives (15.2) Accommodation Utilisation (15.3) Cost analysis of existing estate (15.4) Planned maintenance programme (15.5) Schedule of Accommodation 16. Workforce Development 53-55 (16.1) Workforce Development Strategy 17. Data Management 56-57 (17.1) Action Plan for data management improvement 18. Finance 58-61 Appendices 62 1. Strategic Objectives and Corporate Targets 63-64 2. NRC Current Economic Engagement (Workforce Development 2009-10) 65-69 3. NRC Current Economic Engagement (Enterprise) 2009-10 70-73 4. Self Evaluation Report – Whole College 2008-2009 74-85 5. Quality Improvement Plan 2009-10 – 2012-13 86-95 6. Planning, Monitoring and Review Cycle 96 7. Estates Floor area and FTE per Campus 97 8. Governing Body Strategic Review 98 NRC – College Development Plan 2010-11 – 2012-13 3 1. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND At the time of preparing its last College Development Plan, Northern Regional College had commissioned an update of the Due Diligence report produced prior to merger in 2007. This update confirmed the Governing Body’s concerns regarding the financial viability and stability of the College. Following discussions with DEL it was agreed that the College would produce a five year Business Improvement Plan. Work on the Business Improvement Plan commenced in September 2009. A preliminary report was presented to DEL in December 2009 and further meetings held with the Acting Permanent Secretary in February 2010 to discuss policy issues which had emerged in the work on the Plan. A final draft of the Business Improvement Plan was approved by the Governing Body on 3 March 2010 and submitted to DEL on 5 March 2010. The contents of the College Development Plan for 2010/13 must be seen in the wider context of the Business Improvement Plan. A further related document is the Strategic Outline Case (SOC) which the College is currently preparing in support of its plan for estates development. The SOC will be submitted to DEL by the end of March 2010. Alongside the production of the BIP and CDP the College will continue to plan in accordance with its own internal planning cycle which begins with a Strategic Review conducted by the Governing Body. This is followed by an internal Management Conference which generates a comprehensive and integrated operational planning process throughout the organisation. This will produce a series of operational plans which will be linked to the three-year strategic objectives through a set of Corporate Targets for 20010/11. A College Corporate Plan will be brought to the Governing Body for approval in June 2010. NRC – College Development Plan 2010-11 – 2012-13 4 2. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT The Northern Regional College is currently operating in an environment which is presenting significant challenges. Forecasts indicate that growth in the Northern Ireland economy will not be significant in 2010 and that further significant job losses can be expected. Northern Ireland may however be less impacted than other UK regions by the continued slowdown due to having a greater proportion of the economy within the public sector. While public sector spending is unlikely to increase in the forthcoming review the sector remains relatively cushioned In comparison to the private sector. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), the Government's target measure of annual inflation was 2.9 per cent in December 2009, a rise of 1.00 per cent since November 2009. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) also increased in December to 2.4%, from 0.3 per cent in November. This was the largest monthly rise in inflation since 1979. Although the significant rises in CPI and RPI are largely due to the fall in prices experienced in December 2008 as a result of the reduction in VAT and sharp falls in the price of oil at that time, the increase in costs currently being experienced are very relevant to NRC and in particular in relation to estates costs. The increase in the rate of VAT in January 2010 and potentially further increases in the price of fuel may add to this threat. The RPI rate in September 2009 on which payment of state benefits for the financial year 2010/2011 is based was however negative. It is therefore likely that the increase in benefits such as state pensions, child benefit etc may be minimal. This may lead a greater challenge for the College in relation to improving the numbers of enrolments for part-time courses (see section 6 Curriculum Planning). Interest rates remaining at 0.5 % present a challenge to the College as there is corresponding reduction in interest income from the investment of cash reserves. The low rate of interest and the substantial level of quantitative easing have contributed to a significant depreciation in the value of Sterling especially against the Euro. While there is considerable pressure at present on the Euro due to economic instability in southern European countries, the current value against the pound will affect the College. NRC – College Development Plan 2010-11 – 2012-13 5 A positive aspect to the fall in the value of sterling against the Euro is that funding for the Kite Project (see Section 10 Economic Engagement) is in Euro and consequently the funding will provide more income to the College than previously anticipated. The fall in the value of Sterling has improved the competitiveness of export led industries although the full benefits of this have not been realised due to the global fall in demand for locally produced goods and services. Nevertheless the demand for training in particular from the NRC Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing Engineering remains strong from exporting organisations such as Ryobi, Schlumberger and F G Wilson, with a focus on the Business Improvement Techniques (BIT) programme (see Appendix 2). The Northern Ireland seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the third quarter of 2009 was estimated at 7.2 %, a rise of 3 per cent from the same period the previous year. While the NI unemployment rate remains below that of the UK average, the catchment area for the Northern Regional College has been particularly badly affected by this rise in unemployment. The NRC has established an Economic Engagement Department as part of its Support and Development Directorate. This comprises of a Head of Economic Engagement and three managers with responsibilities for KTP/Upskilling, Innovation and Entrepreneurship and DEL Training Contracts. The Head of Economic Engagement is also secretary to the NRWDF and as such is central to co-ordinating any developments planned to address skills gaps in the region, with the WDF, employers and curriculum managers. Two managers have an external facing role with employers undertaking training needs analysis, discussing potential bespoke training with business and industry and the NRC curriculum teams as well as supporting SME and local business with innovation programmes. The challenge that the economic climate is presenting to local business and industry is being addressed at sector level through Rapid Response Northern Ireland (RRNI) programme in which NRC is a major participant. As such NRC is well placed to identify and respond to any particular employer based training needs or any retraining request identified as a result of the economic downturn. NRC delivers training through the ApprenticeshipsNI and Training for Success programmes to a substantial number of students, estimated at approximately 10% of the total across the province. Training is largely in the areas of Construction, Engineering and Motor Vehicle and the College also has partnerships with the Electrical Training Trust (ETT) and Plumbing & NRC – College Development Plan 2010-11 – 2012-13 6 Mechancial Services Training (PMST). However, employment in the Construction industry has continued to fall with the rise in claimants from the construction industry comprising 44% of the overall rise in claimants. The College has experienced a further significant downturn in the demand for construction and engineering related apprenticeships and indeed some apprentices have lost their jobs. The College continues to manage the DEL guidelines for contingency arrangements to maximise the opportunity for apprentices who have lost employed status. The new Programme Led Apprenticeship provision was also introduced at NRC in September 2009. This programme was designed to facilitate the opportunity for trainees to acquire skills and training within an Apprenticeship Framework without employed status.